Taiwan called on the Chinese regime to "be rational" on Tuesday, February 20, following a fatal incident involving a Chinese boat and the Taiwanese coast guard, with the island's Prime Minister Chen Chien-jen reaffirming that he will continue to protect its territorial waters.

Last week, two Chinese crew members died after a boat sank near Kinmen, an island administered by Taipei but located just five kilometers from the mainland city of Xiamen.

According to Taiwanese authorities, the boat was being pursued because it was in prohibited waters.

China then announced increased patrols in Taiwanese waters, and on Monday Chinese coast guard briefly boarded a Taiwanese cruise ship to check the details of the captain and passengers.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and relations between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years under the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, who does not accept Beijing's demands.

Taiwan's prime minister said Tuesday that both sides have known about "restricted and prohibited maritime zones" since 1992. 

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Taiwan's coast guard defended its actions

“We will continue to protect these maritime areas to ensure the security of our territorial waters and the rights of our fishermen,” he told the Taiwanese Parliament.

"We hope that the two sides can be rational, fair and cooperate to ensure the security of the waters of Kinmen-Xiamen so that people on both sides of the strait can dialogue in a healthy and orderly manner," he added.

Kinmen is a short distance from Xiamen, and it is not uncommon for Chinese and Taiwanese ships to accidentally cross the defined boundary between the two.

Taiwan's coast guard defended its actions during the pursuit that led to the fatal accident, saying the Chinese crew refused to cooperate with law enforcement.

Last month, Taiwan's presidential election resulted in the victory of Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party, a candidate Beijing considers a "separatist."

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Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control and has in recent years intensified military pressure on the democratic self-governing island by deploying warplanes and ships around the island almost daily.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Tuesday it detected 24 Chinese warplanes around the island in the past 24 hours, a slight increase from previous days.

With AFP 

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